Encouragement for the weary soul.

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What do you do when life circumstances are suddenly changed, never to be the same again?

Almost everyone reacts. Few act. The difference between reacting and acting is like the difference between night and day.

Change is a big word. It can mean something different to everyone.

What does change mean to you?

When Barak Obama became president under the banner of change, America was excited. The first black president sat in the White House, expectations were high. Eight years later many were disappointed others were pleased.

This past November Donald Trump became president. America was excited. The first successful billionaire business man sits in the White House, expectations are high. He too ran on promises of change. Some were angry and others rejoiced.

The map of America after the election was mostly red. In California and the major big cities of the nation the map was blue. America as a whole wanted change.

As usual most of America looks to the coasts to set the tone and the media is the standard bearer for that tone.

I recall sitting with my mother many years ago, watching T.V. The ads would come on and she would ask to go to the store so she could buy the product she saw. If it was on T.V. it must be good, i.e. it must be true.

Media still has a big influence on the American public. Faith in the media may even have become more pronounced in news programs in particular.

Americans watch “the talking heads” of the media talk and debate, asking themselves what they think. Opinion is what matters to them…your opinion, my opinion, their opinion. Every opinion except the one opinion that matters, God’s.

For the most part, the American people would say that they believe in the Judeo-Christian God. They may not go to church or believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came into the world to bring people to God the Father, but they profess belief in God.

In the Christian church of today, many doctrines that were held true for centuries are no longer accepted as truth. It is a time when each does what is right in his own eyes, the Bible calls this an evil day. The love of money, position and power move many.

But for some of us, this is a new day, a day of awakening. We have prayed for years: “God, May your Kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!” We believe that now is the time, God has heard our prayers, and He is going to get involved. As someone said, “God is going to show up and show out.”

A few years ago I was reading Isaiah 60…it read: “Darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people, but the light shall rise upon thee and nations and kings shall come to the brightness of your rising..”

I have heard many proclaiming this truth: God will move when it is very dark. Jesus is called the light of the world in the Bible and the contrast between darkness and light is seen over and over again in scripture.

We know that when it is dark, even the smallest amount of light brightens the darkness. That is not to say that everyone likes the light, because as the Bible says it shows that their deeds are evil. So, there will be those who react to light, to change, by anarchy. They become violent in their anger, lashing out at whoever happens to come close to them.

The Bible tells us that the anger of man accomplishes no good thing. It cannot be perpetuated, it will always deteriorate into hatred which will destroy the person who harbors it, eventually leading to death and destruction.

My pastor and her friend, along with many other Christian people went to Washington D.C. for the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States of America. They were there to celebrate and support. It was a joyful time for them.

There was one dark spot where some angry people spit at some celebrants, called them names and would not let them pass through where they were standing. It made them sad and they prayed that they might know the love God had for them.

Peaceful protest is part of the American landscape. We are a diverse people and have the right to stand up for our beliefs. But, looting, burning, pushing and shoving, even sometimes beating up someone you disagree with is not the American way.

May God have mercy upon us and restore America to His vision. May His will be done and His opinion be sought after.

Christians and Jews are among the most tolerant people that I know. In Israel and America a Christian church, a Jewish synagogue and a mosque can stand in the same area. Their people can work side by side without conflict.

When radical factions enter in to any of these groups who believe in one God, there will be trouble and eventually there will be war.

Something must be said about the enemies of America who have an agenda to take her down and make her a subservient country to a one world government. God will not allow it until the time He has set on His time line.

It is vain to fight against God, you cannot prevail. Unbelief does not affect God. He is the great I AM, the one who has always been and always will be. His will is going to be done.

As we embark upon the four year term of Donald Trump as president. Let us set aside radicalization and work together in Unity to make America a better place for our children and our grand-children. Unity in diversity is a wonderful thing.

We live in a country where we can make our requests known. I write to my congressman and representatives when I disagree with what is being done. No one comes to put me in jail for being a dissident. I have the right of free speech.

You can write to your local newspaper, you can produce a program on Public T.V., (for free), you can set up a peaceful protest, there are many ways to communicate your opinion and try to influence others.

Change can be good, it depends on whether you react to the change in a negative way or respond with a construction action. It is your choice.

There are many songs being sung in our world today and none without meaning. There are as many songs as there are people.

This past week-end I traveled to spend some time with a woman who has been a good friend for well over fifty years. She was born with a happy song, but with the years, and with circumstances, her song has been diminshed. Oh, she still laughs and smiles, but her song is now tinged with sorrow and sadness as physical issues require attention, and her strong work ethic is not so easily managed. Weariness often overcomes her.

My friend and I spent a couple of hours with our god-child, a very successful man who is goal oriented and driven by a dream. The business he is engaged in is quite lucritive and he has plans for early retirement when he meets his goal. His pride and joy though are his children, whom he talks about with great excitement. From an earthly standpoint, he appears to have it all together, but some “worry lines” on his face indicate that even his song has a dark side, perhaps I should say a gray side. Life is not free of challenges.

I am blessed to have a son and his family in the same area, so I was able to enjoy a few hours with them as well. The song they sing comes across to me as mostly blue. As a mother, I wish I was able to wave a magic wand and “make it all alright”, but my Father in Heaven allows me to make my own choices and decisions and some of the greatest lessons I have learned have been because of hard times. So, I must allow them to sing the blues while I pray that the clouds will part and the Sun of righteousness will shine upon them.

Following the visit with my biological child I enjoyed a visit with my spiritual son and his family. A visit to their home is always a joy because they have the gift of hospitality. I feel welcomed and warmed by their kind, gentle attention. Their home is in the country and because Spring has arrived, at last, in the north country, everything was green and growing. I love Spring! I love it because of the new life, the happy song, the hope of harvest, the hope of fruitfulness in the Fall. I heard Spring’s song and I was refreshed.

Today as I was considering this week-end with the various songs I heard, my thought turned to fruit salad. Strange you say, yes, I am sure, but then that is how my mind works.

There are many kinds of fruit, each one can be enjoyed individually and yet they can be combined to make a fruit salad. If people can be compared to fruit, consider this: You cannot take an apple and turn it into an orange, you cannot take a pear and make it into a banana, nor can you make a blueberry into a cherry. BUT, you can combine them into a fruit salad that is incredibly wonderful tasting and very nourishing as well. Throw in some blueberries for anti-oxident power and you are good to go.

Why do we try to make other people into our own image? Why can we not accept each other for who we are? God loves variety, we all sing a different song and that is okay. He is the author of all of the songs, but what we do with our song is what makes our song a happy song or a sad one. Decisions matter!

As I thought about fruit salad, I realized that God’s love is the dressing that keeps it all together, adds just the right flavor to it. It marries all the fruit together into a pleasing delight for the palate. And yet, each fruit adds its own flavor to the salad. Wonderful!

That thought led me to unity. That is what happens when we allow God into our marriage, our family. It becomes a wonderful blend where each one is loved and accepted as they are, without trying to force one another to be someone they are not, a job by the way, that only the love of God can accomplish.

Uniformity on the other hand is like homoginization, only one distinct flavor. Milk is homogenized and that is good and right, but homogenized people? No!

I love variety in food, I love variety in people. I loved sitting with my friends nephew and his wife talking about their experience in Arizona this winter. As they shared their time there, I lived it, could see it, could almost smell the ranch, the horses, the mountain air, and that is not my thing, but oh how lovely to be with them and hear the precious song they sang.

You, dear reader, have a song to sing. You are singing a song in our world whether you realize it or not. Won’t you consider what song you are singing and whether your song lifts up or pulls down those around you?

Everyone needs hope, everyone needs love and acceptance, everyone needs to be respected and honored, everyone needs to be valued. As we honor God for who He is, realizing that it is His love that binds all of the different songs into a sympohny of beauty, harmony comes and discord disappears, our lives are changed for the better, the lives of those around us change and we come closer to Heaven on earth.

Yes, I know, Heaven on earth cannot happen yet, nevertheless, unity is the desire of Jesus spoken of in John 17 and each of us can do what we can do to bring that to pass.

Each of us is an instrument and we will play a song. We must choose if our song will be discord or harmony. Let us accept others for who they are and allow God to make them into the person that He wants them to be? He can you know!